According to Sparkle's published specifications, the 5500 is clocked at 270MHz, while the memory runs at 400MHz across a 128-bit bus. The part is believed to be based on the NV31 core, which formed the basis of the old GeForce FX 5600.

The board, the SP8855-DT, features 128MB of DDR SDRAM and a 350MHz RAMDAC. It has TV out, DVI (1600 x 1200) and analog VGA ports. It's an AGP 8x board.

The second board, the SP8836LE-DT, is equipped with a 250MHz 5700LE. It too has 128MB of DDR, clocked at 400MHz. The memory bus is 128-bit. The outputs are the same as the 5500-based board, but they're connected to a 400MHz RAMDAC. It too is an AGP 8x card.

The 5700LE is based on the regular 5700's NV36 core, but clocked to run more slowly.

Nvidia is expected to formally unveil both chips next month, at the CeBIT show. ®